Category: Semafor

The News The US failure to consult European allies on its decision to attack Iran won’t break the strong bonds between the longtime partners, Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. “There can be turbulence in that relationship, there are disagreements in ...

The News A prolonged conflict in the Middle East would reduce the chances of a US interest rate cut this year, Austan Goolsbee, president of the Chicago Fed, told Semafor World Economy on Tuesday. Goolsbee said he was concerned that the potential inflationary impact of the energy-price shock caused by ...

Nigeria said it would ask the IMF and the World Bank for support, as the effects of the Iran war deepen in Africa’s most populous nation. Nigeria had been on a winning streak before the conflict: It halved annual inflation from a peak of almost 30% while maintaining sturdy economic ...

Cuba’s president said he was open to US investment in his country’s oil industry, though he reiterated he would not step down despite Washington’s threats to oust Havana’s communist leadership. Economic conditions in the island nation have deteriorated rapidly since the Trump administration tightened its oil embargo, sparking nationwide blackouts ...

US and Iranian negotiators could reportedly meet again for talks this week, as a US blockade threatened confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran warned that it would strike ports across the Gulf in retaliation for the US embargo on maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports. But the clock ...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping said the global order was “crumbling into disarray” as the Iran war takes a toll on the world’s second-largest economy. Xi had so far largely refrained from commenting directly on the conflict, wary of harming ties with Washington ahead of a high-stakes summit with US President ...

The effects of the Iran war are increasingly being seen in the real economy, not just the stock market. Goldman Sachs warned that it was seeing less enthusiasm for mergers and IPOs from big corporate clients, and that rising commodity prices alongside falling consumer demand were a “headwind.” Other large ...

As we scooped last week, bankers have been puzzling over how to handle the tsunami of selling — more than $1 trillion at the valuation being discussed — that would hit the market six months after the IPO, if the company pursued a traditional insider “lock-up.” They are considering ways ...

The News The Federal Reserve should “wait and see” before deciding whether to lower interest rates amid the war in Iran, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. “Do I think rates should be lowered? Eventually. I think now that we have to ...

The News Qualcomm, a leading provider of memory chips, is preparing for the day when AI agents rather than smartphones will be driving consumer decisions, CEO Cristiano Amon said Monday at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. ​“2026 is going to be the year of agents,” Amon said, referring to ...